Dimapur, August 28 (MExN): A team led by Dr. Chingyei, MO Link ART Centre was in Mon with the primary objective to understand how ECS and the Churches of Tuensang had impacted the gradual decline of incidence in the district. A press note stated that the team came to understand the involvement of Churches alliance and role of ECS. The team arrived Tuensang on August 18 and on the same day the visitors had series of meetings with various Churches involved in the campaign.
The note also mentioned that after intensive discussions with Church leaders and staffs at ECS, the team visited Tribal DICs under various Churches, ART centre and Community Care Centre run by ECS at Longpang. The note also said that what presumably worked for Tuensang was the role of Church in creating conducive environment thereby normalising HIV. Secondly, the sustained and comprehensive intervention package provided by NSACS and FHI since the year 2000 was the critical link in containing further spread of the epidemic. And the most crucial of all being the role of ECS in facilitating 24x7 services to the target population and on the whole the determined effort to engage all stakeholders in the process.
The team was accompanied by representatives of Mon district Village Council Union, Konyak Union, Konyak Students Union, NGOs like Samshan, Counselor ICTC Aboi and member EU/KBCM/Red Ribbon Club.
The note also stated that from 1999-2007, epidemic in Tuensang was positioned at number one in the state. But the given figures indicate, the incidence of HIV in Tuensang has been consecutively ranked at third place since the year 2008. In few cases Tuensang has interchangeably been ranked between third and fourth at several intervals, as in the case of July 2011 where Tuensang comes fourth. This is an unthinkable achievement for Tuensang because in the year 1999, only nine were tested for HIV through the year and all were found positive. At times it was as high as 25% positive of total tested at any given time. However, what is alarming is that in many places other than Tuensang, the incidence is showing an upward trend and this has to be noted with caution by all Naga.
The note also mentioned that after intensive discussions with Church leaders and staffs at ECS, the team visited Tribal DICs under various Churches, ART centre and Community Care Centre run by ECS at Longpang. The note also said that what presumably worked for Tuensang was the role of Church in creating conducive environment thereby normalising HIV. Secondly, the sustained and comprehensive intervention package provided by NSACS and FHI since the year 2000 was the critical link in containing further spread of the epidemic. And the most crucial of all being the role of ECS in facilitating 24x7 services to the target population and on the whole the determined effort to engage all stakeholders in the process.
The team was accompanied by representatives of Mon district Village Council Union, Konyak Union, Konyak Students Union, NGOs like Samshan, Counselor ICTC Aboi and member EU/KBCM/Red Ribbon Club.
The note also stated that from 1999-2007, epidemic in Tuensang was positioned at number one in the state. But the given figures indicate, the incidence of HIV in Tuensang has been consecutively ranked at third place since the year 2008. In few cases Tuensang has interchangeably been ranked between third and fourth at several intervals, as in the case of July 2011 where Tuensang comes fourth. This is an unthinkable achievement for Tuensang because in the year 1999, only nine were tested for HIV through the year and all were found positive. At times it was as high as 25% positive of total tested at any given time. However, what is alarming is that in many places other than Tuensang, the incidence is showing an upward trend and this has to be noted with caution by all Naga.
